UPY 2025

UPY  Coral Reefs - Highly Commended
'Mangrove Coral Paradise'
Renee Capozzola

This half and half image was shot along the mangrove shoreline in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. Here, you can find healthy hard corals in very shallow water enveloped by diverse marine life. Mangrove forests are vital ecosystems which store large amounts of blue carbon, increase shoreline stability, act as a nursery for fish and other sea creatures, and provide a source of food and ecotourism. It's crucial that mangrove forests receive additional protections, especially now in the face of climate change, and so that they remain for future generations.

Judge's comment: Perfect split shot of a very nice reef in Raja Ampat! The two round stone corals in the lower part of the frame with the reflections of those in the surface. Well done by the photographer to lift up the camera a bit to capture those.

Tobias Friedrich